im building a druze army, (while i wait for all the defiance reinforcements models to arrive,) with the total lack of units available im surprised the brawler cap is only ava 4 rather than a 6 or total. whats you vets feel about their unit cap?
Seems like an artificial way of ensuring it feels like the Druze faction rather than the brawler faction. That said I can't imagine anyone being too upset if they increased the ava, I normally feel Brawlers are more of a link tax than a desirable profile.
I can understand why they are Ava 4. With 6 or total, they would be a bit overwhelming in Druze - You would be able to take a haris with AHD and HRL, and make a cheap but damn good core-link. Now you have to choose, what is more important for you. In general, I feel totally fine with the Ava 4, since I can build a cheap and strong core with HRL, Lt and MSV2 MSR and have a solo AHD to refill the link or hunt other things down with his SMG. It is part of the sector to be forced into other units, like Fugazis and Pathfinders here.
I think AVA 4 is just fine. Druze bring a lot to the table for their cost, and Brawlers are expensive for what they bring; with the notable exception of the AHD. I think you end up diluting the faction's strength if you could run 6 Brawlers.
One thing that irritates me about Druze, is all of the Brawlers! It's the Druze Bayram and I keep seeing lists with maybe 1 Druze!
IMO the best Druze list I have seen have at least 3 Druze. Players who avoid them for the cost, just don't understand how well rounded they are on the table.
Although everyone has raised very good points and I don't disagree with any of them, I personally feel that it would be an interesting change in N4 if they perhaps got rid of the .5 SWC for the brawler haris or definetly got rid of the 1 SWC for the Druze haris. As well as increasing the Brawler cap to five. Which it technically was before if you were including spec ops, which my gaming group generally does. I think that those changes coupled with the rumours of MI being 4-4 now would add a bit of refreshment into how DBS can be played. So if people don't want to take too many they dont have to and if they want to, they still can. Druze themsleves are literally walking swiss army knives (viral pistols are the BEST surprise for opponents sometimes, seriously those things have brought me so much joy) But I guess cheaper haris choices would create more list building options for people who don't want to take a lot of Druze. Although I personally find myself taking more and more Druze in lists the longer that I play the faction. :-) ps Duze doctor please though. And an engineer too maybe. ;-)
The DBS sectoral needs more options. 19 profiles are not enough to be considered a full sectoral. If you eliminate the 'generic' profiles DBS has 12 choices. I normally consider faction grunts generic, but in DBS the brawlers are a little better than generic and given the lack of choices in DBS they are essencial. Lastly their uniques and tags are not that playable (Anaconda, Arslan, Le muet). It gives the sectoral almost no versatility. It's best saving grace is the Specialist Saito Togan. under the right circumstances he can win a game on his own. What I consider generic Basic remotes (Clipper, sierra, kameel, fugazi, pathfinders) warcor Nasmats I gave up on DBS and switched the Ikari just to have more options. Hopefully N4 will fix DBS.
DBS has what it needs to win matches and take events. It is not the least flexible of the sectorials, but it is damn close. Would we like to see it opened up a bit? Absolutely! Let's face it though, it's probably not a priority for CB at this point. So let me get this bad part out of the way, Druze appear in more factions than just DBS. When I asked Bostria (he answered my question in the 2018 seminar video for Rumble) if DBS would see any additions, he answered that there were other factions to play Druze in. Bostria is often wrong, or things change, but given the popularity of DBS, I feel like we're looking at what we have, and will have for the future. Ok, now that that's out of the way, assuming we do get some love there are some things I think could help, but one thing I feel is for certain, more options with Brawlers is not the best way to improve this faction. Brawlers are generally a bad deal, with the contextual exceptions of where the Brawler MSR is the only MSV-2 in faction or one of it's better linked ranged ARO options. The AHD has merit because it is the cheapest AHD in the game and has a SMG. The HRL is not terrible and has the B4 pistol, and is about what you'd expect for the cost, and the Lt. is only a decent option in factions where the choice of one is intentionally limited to a few units. The Doc and Engi are just plain bad because of their cost and WIP 12, and I don't usually spin a unit in those terms... like almost ever, but they are honestly objectively bad units. The harris without wildcards just compounds their issues IMO. In general, Brawlers are pretty bad looking at a cost comparison to other faction's units. So I'm dubious that changing their AVA or linking options would do anything to improve this faction. Look a Bralwer Core shouldn't be left out of the realm of possibility here for brainstorming ideas, but I think it's pretty clear that the Druze core is the actual point of DBS, so it's just not going to happen as it fundamentally changes the sectorial, and for the worse IMO. The only change I think Brawlers could get that would help would be a special fireteam to join Druze shock team's harris. Ok, now just in case CB is listening... what could improve DBS? Well, I'm glad you asked, because I am an opinionated MF'r and I have literally been saying some of this stuff for years now. I'm going to keep these ideas as smallish and hopefully keeping in with the theme of the sectorial. Get rid of the Anaconda. They won't because it's in the Manga, but it WASN'T EVEN WORKING FOR DBS FFS! Dump it and let us have the Al Fasid. That change alone would be very nice for DBS and open up some list building. Give DBS AVA1 Krakot renegade. We already work with that xenos scum Armand, so why not? The Krakot would compete with the Peacemaker's role without being redundant, and seems like the type of ruthless, expendable merc that Druze would happily have die for them instead of some human. Plus the monkey works for chems, and we know DBS is all over that lucrative market. It's kind of silly that DBS is like the only sectorial without dedicated support personnel. So maybe add either the PanO or Haqq support pack. I lean towards the Haqq pack because of the Druze's actual origins, but that may be a higher WIP than CB wants in the faction for the support roles, so whateves. Don't make them linkable. Why this wasn't done initially is one of my largest WTFs with DBS. Alternatively, give us the Monstrucker or Irmandinho... personally I like this better. Arslan should have Wildcard, it's a small thing, but he could duo with a lot of stuff here that would make him a halfway decent Rambo; which is something he's not quite good enough to do on his own. He could also join a Brawler harris. While you're at it CB, just make Gromoz Wildcard too, she is but why have two different texts to describe the same thing? Change the Druze Harris profile to the Panzerfaust and drop the cost to .5 SWC. The DEP has absolutely no synergy with a fireteam and it's a pretty useless profile without harris so just drop it out entirely. There is no currently produced model for it, so let it go bubye, or keep it around because it's the only one with a CCW, I don't care, no one takes it because of its weapons, trust me. As I said before let a single Brawler join a Druze Harris. Maybe add a special fireteam for ABH, let one join a Brawler harris. Annnnd that's it... it's that simple to really open up some fun options for DBS list building and attract a some new players to the faction. DBS is not a popular faction, it doesn't have a high win percentage, it needs some help. Personally, I firmly believe that DBS is a sleeper faction that can win events, but it currently struggles with having few viable lists, too few units to select from, and some ridiculous SWC demands for having multiple fireteam bonuses. The complete lack of any impetuous options (other than SFace's frenzy) is a little silly too, and the only support options being extremely overcosted and being bad at their role is just ridiculous. We are bad CB, but we want to be even worse. So let us be even worse for our opponents.
Well, so long as the sectorial survives into N4 we are bound to see at least a few minor changes in it. Profile and rules tweaks and so on! So that's something to look forward to anyway! :-)
Personally I'd like to see some sort of Druze Heavy. Only Druze out of the NA2 has no HI. I know they are not going to give them anything original, but they could give them a heavy from somewhere else? Not Jannisaries because then it might as well be QK. How about an Ariadna HI? No one else in NA2 has them. See what they do have below. Ikari has Wu Ming and Tanko, Daiyoki, Al'Faseed, Karakuri JSA has Tanko, Daiyoki, Dormamu, and more Dahshat has Zuyong, Al'Faseed FC has Orcs, Kriza Star Co. has Riot Grrls, Mobile Brigada Spiral core has Keil-San, Nema Sataar So i'm suggesting Druze get Veteran Kazaks for the following reasons: They are Veterans like Druze, cost more than Druze, and visually I think go well with Druze. When you think about it, they are close to "What if a Druze threw on heavy armor." They even have a guy with an X-visor! Of course they wouldn't have all of the same options as in Ariadana. I know that some would like the Al'Faseed in there but again I think it's too close to QK. I know QK doesn't have the Al'Faseed! But it's Haqq. So again I think it could be something else. This i'm not sure on. At first I thought Blackjack or Ratnik. Then I thought maybe they get something from Spiral Core to keep the NA2 theme and get then Keil-San. I'm fine with them not getting anything like a big HI.
i think there would be a higher chance getting dogwarriors before Ariadna HIs as they outside the military there's not much job options for dogblooded that isnt being enforcers for criminal elements
Druze are still being persecuted in O-12(?) courts for war crimes on Dawn. They have been able to successfully stall the litigation, but there are some really bad feeling towards Druze there. I don't think many (or any) Ariadna forces would be willing to work with a Druze centered paramilitary corp. If I remember correctly, it was in the Caledonia's region, but I'd have to double check the source book. Still though Druze were operating on behalf of an off planet Corporation, and I'm guessing that anti Druze sentiment would be shared planet wide with the citizens of Dawn. I'd personally love to see Carmen and Batard in DBS, but I don't know enough about their background to know if that's likely, so I didn't suggest it. One thing's for sure with CB, that they put a lot of effort into the background and story and it all needs to pass that test before they worry about how something would affect the balance of the faction. It's one of the reasons I'm all over the Al Fasid. Not only does it potentially fit the background of some one the DBS would employ, it's also the most toolbox HI, so that the points spent on it do a lot more than just shoot the enemy.
TBH i wasn't thinking of background when suggesting Kazak, just rules. They are the closest to HI Druze of existing HI. But Mercs are mercs and go where the money is. They are willing to go with Druze if it pays. Re: Al'Faseed and Krakot. But you might as well play Ikari with Druze then. The one thing I love about Druze is that it allows me to play first their own sectoral but also Ikari and QK. Three sectorals for one troop. And as we've seen, there's been some Druze armies with very little Druze! Ikari Company ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 9 2 DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher (E/M and Nimbus) / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27) DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, Panzerfaust / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, Panzerfaust / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) DRUZE (X Visor) Shock Marksman Rifle, Chain-colt / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 27) TANKŌ Missile Launcher / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (1.5 | 32) NINJA Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Tactical Bow / Pistol, DA CCW, Knife. (0 | 29) FASID HMG + (Smoke and Normal) Light Grenade Launcher, Antipersonnel Mines / Heavy Pistol, Knife. (2 | 53) KRAKOT RENEGADE 2 Chain Rifles, Grenades / Pistol, DA CC Weapon. (0 | 14) FUGAZI DRONBOT Flash Pulse, Sniffer / Electric Pulse. (0 | 8) GROUP 2 3 1 BRAWLER Engineer Rifle + Light Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 20) BRAWLER Lieutenant Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16) TANKŌ (Fireteam: Haris) Blitzen, Light Shotgun / Pistol, Monofilament CC Weapon, Shock CC Weapon. (0.5 | 24) 4.5 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army I know for tournaments you might want to stay with it NA2 for some reason but does it really matter? Qapu Khalqi ────────────────────────────────────────────────── GROUP 1 10 DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle + Light Grenade Launcher (E/M and Nimbus) / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 27) DRUZE HMG, Chain-colt / Viral Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 29) DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, Panzerfaust / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) DRUZE (X Visor) Combi Rifle, Chain-colt, Panzerfaust / Viral Pistol, Knife. (0 | 25) LEILA SHARIF Hacker (Killer Hacking Device) Shock Marksman Rifle, D-Charges / Breaker Pistol, Knife. (0 | 20) DJANBAZAN HMG / Pistol, Knife. (1.5 | 35) DJANBAZAN (Fireteam: Haris) Shock Marksman Rifle / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 30) HAFZA Lieutenant Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16) HAWWA' (Forward Observer) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 21) HAWWA' Hacker (Assault Hacking Device) Boarding Shotgun, D-Charges / Pistol, Knife. (0.5 | 26) GROUP 2 3 GHULAM Doctor Plus (MediKit) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 16) NASMAT Electric Pulse. (0 | 3) GHULAM (Forward Observer) Rifle + Light Shotgun / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 13) GHULAM (Deployable Repeater) Rifle + Light Shotgun, E/Mauler / Pistol, Knife. (0 | 14) 4.5 SWC | 300 Points Open in Infinity Army
@Space Ranger you're right in that my suggestions do add similar units to Ikari and my wish list is probably not likely because of Ikari. So if I want to play Druze with those units, then I should probably play Ikari, except I don't really want to play Ikari. Heck Bostrai said as much answering my question 2 years ago, if you want to play Druze differently there are other factions to play them in. I seriously doubt that anything will change in DBS at all other than any across the board adjustments for N4.
I don't think of it as Ikari. Considering the proxy rules, It's still your Druze. Brawlers can be used for Ghulam/Keistostu/etc, but i understand your view too. But I try to take advantage of what I have. Not what I want. My icon is a yin yang for a reason ;)
I at most use 3 Brawlers in any list. I usually take a Spitfire Haris with a couple of specialists in tow. I never take the MSV sniper anymore, he just dies on the first order in every game. My Druze links are either 3 druze, Gromoz and a clipper, or a 3 model core of 2 Druze and Gromoz or 3 Druze. The only time i have more than 3 Brawlers on the field is if i'm playing an LT shell game and have a couple Bashi Bazouks pretending to be Brawlers with rifles hiding in the back...and i only do that if i know I might face a Speculo or some other type of assasin.
